On the morning of 25^th February 1963, distress flares were spotted off the east side of Rathlin. The wind was south-south east strong to gale force, with an ebbing tide. Some two hours after the first flares were seen, a coaster, inward bound to Coleraine, picked up the crew from a life raft off Rue Point and took them to Coleraine. There are conflicting reports as to what really happened, but the obvious answer seems to be that the Berry Bretagne was fishing illegally off the east side of Rathlin when she fouled on the wreck of the Lochgarry and capsized. Wreckage on the shore and the location where the survivors were picked up, also a trawl net, doors and warps on the wreck of the Lochgarry would seem to indicate this as the most likely cause.

The Administrator of Maritime Affairs Lorient, states in a report that the Berry Bretagne hit rocks off the Mull of Kintyre and sank. However, with SSE wind and ebb tide it would have been impossible for the wreckage and survivors to reach Rathlin, because they would have been carried much further to the north.

Diving information – It is believed that the wreck of the Berry Bretagne lies in the vicinity of the wreck of the SS Lochgarry. The reason for this line of thought is because most of the wreckage from the Berry Bretagne was washed up on the beach immediately opposite the wreck of the Lochgarry which would indicate the wreck being in this area. There has been no intensive search of the area but there are reports of a group of divers recovering some artifacts with French writing on them. The divers did not know the area very well and thought they were diving on the wreck of the Berry Bretagne accidently. Tidal currents and depths are similar to those of the Lochgarry.